


the inherent romanticism of cutting each other's hair

by collectingnames



Series: My Miracle (fjorclay collection) [8]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: M/M, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Razors, Unresolved Tension, cutting each other's hair, fjorclay, mentions of scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:01:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21635539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/collectingnames/pseuds/collectingnames
Summary: Fjord asks Caduceus to cut a matching spiral into his hair.
Relationships: Caduceus Clay/Fjord
Series: My Miracle (fjorclay collection) [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1483838
Comments: 9
Kudos: 138





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> idk just a tense, quiet moment where Cad cuts Fjord's hair. the title's kinda silly bc I couldn't think of a better one. I'll post the full version as a second chapter to this.

Fjord’s breaths are slow and even, trying to keep himself still as Caduceus keeps one hand at the base of his neck, while the other drags the razor across the sides of his head. He can feel the contrasting textures of the soft fuzz on his knuckles and the newly-bare skin where he’s shaving the spiral design into his hair. The gentle rasp of the razor against his skin. Every few minutes he gets the feeling he should say something but he can glance up and see Caduceus’s face in the mirror and see how focused he is and lets him continue without interruption.

Caduceus has steady hands. They aren’t strong, but they don’t falter as he keeps his arm straight, elbow to wrist, all the movement coming from his shoulder as he works across his scalp. Caduceus pushes forward a little on his neck to tell him to tip his head further down, so he can get the swoop right on this part of the spiral. He gives in to the touch without second thought. He could be doing this with Yasha’s sword and he would still let him control his head like this.

He glances up into the mirror again and catches Caduceus’s intense magenta eyes. They pause for a second, caught in each other’s eyes in the mirror’s soft metallic shine. But he doesn’t shift his head or gaze any, waiting for Caduceus to break it off, to shift his head again so he can keep working on the design. It lasts longer than he would have thought, Caduceus is unfazed by the staring where he would have looked away almost the moment he noticed. Until finally his hand shifts upward to the base of his skull and he turns his head to make him look to his left.

Caduceus brushes some of the short clippings on his shoulders that are rapidly becoming itchy, “Almost done.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fjord asks for Caduceus to shave a matching spiral into his hair, and returns the favor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have the full version! Ft. a moment of 'I know you're not doing anything but it still feels like I'm interrupting A Moment so I'm just gonna leave'

“Caduceus?” Fjord calls his name as he steps up into the rooftop garden.

“Here!” He calls back from somewhere amid the foliage.

He follows the sound of his voice and was met with Caduceus’s back as he waters some Xhorhasian flowers he couldn’t name, “Can I ask a small favor of you?”

He didn’t look up from his task, “Hm?”

“I was wondering if you could shave a spiral into my hair?” He asks, keenly aware of the folded razor in his pocket.

Caduceus stops and looks over his shoulder at him, eyes staring straight through him, he brushes the dirt off his hands on the front of his pants, “Really?”

“Yes, I, yours is,” he stumbles on his words trying to figure out what he means, “Melora, her symbol is a spiral, right? I’m supposed to have a holy symbol, right?”

“I mean, of course, I’ll do it but if you want a holy symbol I would gladly carve you something. A little charm? Something you would wear around your neck?” Caduceus rambles a little as he regards Fjord’s head, like he’s already planning out a design.

“No, no, I just, a swirl will do fine,” he passes the razor from his pocket into one of Caduceus’s hands.

_I can’t think of a better excuse to be close to you. I know you can probably figure out what I’m thinking just please don’t say anything._

Caduceus is already standing at the top of the trapdoor back into the house proper, “Come on, you have a mirror in your room, right?”

“Yes, coming!” He rushes to join him, and can’t get his mouth to say anything as they take the brief walk from the tower to his bedroom.

Caduceus pulls the chair from the disused desk and drags it over to where the mirror is hung up on the wall. He directs him with a little jokey flourish of his hand to sit down in front of the glass, which. The prospect of staring at his own reflection with Caduceus looming over him is weirdly daunting for a reason that he can’t parse. That kernel of insecurity in his appearance still gnaws at him, even if his recent increase in bulk eases that just a little.

He takes a seat and automatically tilts his head down for Caduceus to tie the top part of his hair out of the way. 

“One sec, need to grab a few things. I’ll be back in a minute,” Caduceus pockets the razor and leaves, off to get whatever else he might need.

True to his word, he’s barely gone at all, back at his spot behind him with a wet towel in hand. He runs it across the short-shorn sides of his head, little rivulets of warm water racing down his skin and soaking the collar of his shirt.

“A spiral, right?” Caduceus double-checks.

“Yes.”

“Which side do you want me to start on?”

“My left.”

Caduceus takes a second to check that he has his left and right straight before realizing that they’re facing the same way, “I know hair grows back but one last time before I take this to your head. You want me to shave a spiral into it?”

“Yes,” he says with an air of finality.

“Okay,” Caduceus runs a hand through his hair one more time, a thoughtful look in his eyes, “let me know if I knick you. This is going to take a while.”

“Will do,” he says as Caduceus pulls out the razor.

Fjord’s breaths are slow and even, trying to keep himself still as Caduceus keeps one hand at the base of his neck, while the other drags the razor across the sides of his head. He can feel the contrasting textures of the soft fuzz on his knuckles and the newly-bare skin where he’s shaving the spiral design into his hair. The gentle rasp of the razor against his skin. Every few minutes he gets the feeling he should say something but he can glance up and see Caduceus’s face in the mirror and see how focused he is and lets him continue without interruption.

Caduceus has steady hands. They aren’t strong, but they don’t falter as he keeps his arm straight, elbow to wrist, all the movement coming from his shoulder as he works across his scalp. Caduceus pushes forward a little on his neck to tell him to tip his head further down, so he can get the swoop right on this part of the spiral. He gives in to the touch without second thought. He could be doing this with Yasha’s sword and he would still let him control his head like this.

He glances up into the mirror again and catches Caduceus’s intense magenta eyes. They pause for a second, caught in each other’s eyes in the mirror’s soft metallic shine. But he doesn’t shift his head or gaze any, waiting for Caduceus to break it off, to shift his head again so he can keep working on the design. It lasts longer than he would have thought, Caduceus is unfazed by the staring where he would have looked away almost the moment he noticed. Until finally his hand shifts upward to the base of his skull and he turns his head to make him look to his left.

Caduceus brushes some of the short clippings on his shoulders that are rapidly becoming itchy, “Almost done.”

“Mkay,” he replies, already zoning out again to the sound of Caduceus’s deep humming as he works.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Go ahead.”

Caduceus brushes the clippings off of Fjord’s shoulders, “Are you feeling better?”

“What do you mean?” He has to force himself to stay still and not turn his head to look over his shoulder at him.

“I’ve always followed the Wildmother. You’re new to all of this, just want to see how you’re holding up.”

“I think, I feel lighter. There’s still, still the fear that this isn’t real. That I’m going to wake up coughing saltwater,” he glances up into the mirror to see Caduceus’s reaction.

There’s something torn in his eyes, “You won’t, I promise.”

 _Promise_. He repeats it to himself.

He chuckles, “Hey if I have to punch that snake I’ll do it.”

“Don’t,” Fjord’s not sure what the rest of that sentence is supposed to be.

Caduceus stops to clean the blade, “I’m here for you, Fjord. And I trust you’re here for me, too.”

“I am,” Fjord takes Caduceus’s hand when it comes to rest on his shoulder.

Blush, just barely visible through Caduceus’s thin layer of fur. _Caduceus is blushing_. Caduceus suddenly turns Fjord’s head again, where he can’t make eye contact through the mirror and starts on the other side of his head. Not working on the spiral, that must be done by now. He’s just working on trimming the rest of his head so the unembellished parts are all a uniform length. 

“You’re shaking a little. You don’t have to stay _that_ still,” Caduceus comments as he brings the blade steadily across the side of his head.

“Sorry,” he makes a conscious effort to relax his neck and shoulders but somehow just feels more tense.

“Worrying about it will make you tense up more,” Caduceus goes back to fix a patch of hair that’s sticking out a little more than the rest.

He says it impulsively, “Can I cut yours too when you’re done.”

Caduceus’s undercut isn’t grown out at all, or maybe just barely so, regardless, he doesn’t need a haircut. “Sure.”

Caduceus brushes the last of the clippings off his neck and shoulders with the mostly-dried towel. He stands up slowly and looks out of the corner of his eye to take in the swirling design that curls around the left side of his head. It’s similar to Caduceus’s, the center of the main spiral rests just above his ear and the ends are shaved all the way through the edges of his hair at the temples. But the spiral curls and stretches to the back of his head where it curves to spiral back in again. He skims his hand across it, enjoying the slightly prickly texture against his palm.

“Do you like it?” Caduceus breaks the silence.

“It’s great,” he smiles at him through the mirror, “thank you, Caduceus.”

“Not a problem,” he picks a stray hair off Fjord’s shoulder, “it suits you.”

Fjord takes the razor from him and the towel, “Let me just clean this and I’ll do yours.”

He washes the blade and soaks the towel again, grabs a loose hair tie, and returns to where Caduceus is already seated in front of the mirror, the length of his hair draped over one shoulder.

“Hey,” Fjord says, stepping behind him.

“Hey to you too,” he smiles at him over his shoulder.

He goes to put up Caduceus’s hair but the sheer length of it is suddenly daunting. A simple ponytail isn’t going to keep it out of the way, “I don’t know how to do a bun.”

“That’s okay, I can do it,” he takes the tie from Fjord’s hand and deftly puts it up into a neat bun that rests on top of his head.

Luckily, Caduceus’s hair already has the design in it and he can follow along the path, just sort of trace it. It doesn’t take as long for him to cut his hair. In all honesty, he really doesn’t need a haircut but he seems to be enjoying the closeness too. Taking it in. His eyes flutter shut every now and again. Fjord’s suddenly conscious of the fact that his hands are much rougher than Caduceus’s. They’re battered and calloused and have spent hours, days, weeks working on the _Tide Breath’s_ rigging. There are defensive scars from the fights he’s been in since joining this strange little family of theirs.

“You’re good at this,” Caduceus comments as he deftly makes his way around his head.

“If I can cut my own on a moving ship I think I can cut yours on dry land,” he takes the towel to one of his ears, where the clippings are building up at the junction between ear and head.

Caduceus looks like he’s about to comment on that when-.

There’s a sudden knock on the door, though Nott strides in without waiting for a ‘come in’, “Hey, Fjord, have you seen Caduceus? He wasn’t in the,” she trails off, taking in the scene, promptly seeming to decide she’s interrupting something, “Nevermind, I’ll ask you later.”

“What is it, Nott?” Caduceus tries to ask as she’s leaving.

She freezes in the doorway, “Do you grow any feverfew upstairs? I’m trying a new potion. Figured I’d check with you first before I went looking.”

“Sorry, tried growing some, it didn’t take.”

“Shit,” she says under her breath, “Well, thanks anyway. I’ll just try in town. You two have fun? I guess? Don’t forget to sweep after?” She rambles, clearly confused about how she was supposed to react.

“Good luck,” Caduceus calls after her as she leaves.

Fjord can’t help but chuckle once Nott’s footsteps reach out of earshot. The tension bleeds out of him as he muffles his laughter into his fist. Caduceus quirks a brow at him through the mirror.

“Sorry, sorry, enough distractions. It shouldn’t take me too long to finish up,” he wipes the razor off on the towel and gets back to work.

“Take your time,” Caduceus leans back in the chair, further into his touch.

“I mean, there’s not much for me to do here,” Fjord’s mumbles in response as he shifts to focus on the task at hand, trying very hard not to get distracted by how Caduceus’s hair smells like petrichor.

When he finishes a few minutes later he runs the towel over his neck and shoulders to get the clippings and deftly plucks the tie out from his hair, sending it tumbling back down past his shoulders. Caduceus stands and turns to face him, running a hand through the freshly-shaven sides of his head, smiling slightly.

Caduceus meets his gaze, smiles at the design carved into Fjord’s hair, “It suits you.”

“You already said that,” he’s keenly aware of how close Caduceus is to him.

“I can see it better now,” he stares blatantly at him, his eyes darting between his hair and his face.

It would be so easy. It would be so easy to just lean up on his toes and breach the gap between them. He could just kiss him.

Caduceus runs a hand across the spiral in Fjord’s hair and he has to stop himself from audibly gasping at the touch. Wait. Maybe he was reading this wrong? Maybe he felt the same way? He could do it. He could try and just reach up to cut through the tension. But somewhere between his brain and his body the thought froze and fizzled out.

“Thanks,” Fjord finally manages.

“Not a problem,” Caduceus says with that easygoing, lidded smile as he leaves to return to the tower garden.


End file.
